


Dear Future Me

by Adohug



Series: Dance With Us 2020 [1]
Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Dance With Us 2020, Day 1, F/F, F/M, Multi, its very shelby-centric, other characters...ish?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:06:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27865065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adohug/pseuds/Adohug
Summary: With a roll of her eyes, Shelby finished brushing her teeth and grabbed a random pair of shoes to run to the mailbox. After she slipped off her Papi’s cowboy boots she took a look at the pile of mail and started sorting it.Bill, bill, junk mail, magazine, something addressed to her, bill…Something addressed to her?Or: I based this off of something my eighth grade english teacher did but made it so that she would get to look back on high schoolOr or: Shelby has mail
Relationships: Kaylee/Kevin/Shelby (The Prom Musical)
Series: Dance With Us 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2040061
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15
Collections: Dance With Us Week 2020





	Dear Future Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm participating in Dance With Us week 2020 via a fic a day! I do not know if all of the fics are gonna be this long, but it's a definite possibility.
> 
> This is for Day 1: Character Appreciation - show some love for your favorite characters!
> 
> I have a soft spot for this girl, especially with the extensive background the prom discord has created for all of the kids.

“Papi, mail’s here!” Shelby yelled through a mouth full of toothpaste after noticing the truck drive away through the window.

A crash rung down the hallway, then a reply came from the same direction. “Can you go get it? I’m in the middle of something.” Another crash sounded, followed shortly by a string of swears in both Spanish and English. 

With a roll of her eyes, Shelby finished brushing her teeth and grabbed a random pair of shoes to run to the mailbox. After she slipped off her Papi’s cowboy boots she took a look at the pile of mail and started sorting it.

Bill, bill, junk mail, magazine, something addressed to her, bill…

Something addressed to her?

She immediately forgot about the rest of the mail on the table and inspected the letter more closely. The return address said “Edgewater Middle School,” with the name of Margaret Castle, but the handwriting seemed too familiar to just be an old English teacher--

Something clicked in her head. She yelled into the kitchen (where the crash noises kept coming from) “Mail’s on the table!” Before making her way to her room. If this was what she thought it was, she wanted privacy.

Shelby closed her door before sitting at her desk and opening the envelope. Sure enough, lined paper and familiar handwriting greeted her eyes as she unfolded the letter.

_Dear Future me,_

_¡Hola! You know already, but my name is Shelby Gonzales. I’m fourteen right now, but I’ll be fifteen by the time I hand this in. This is being written for my final grade in eighth grade English with Ms. Castle._

Jesus, did she really write like that? Shelby rolled her eyes at past-her’s writing skills.

_I’ll talk about myself first. Or… now-myself? Instead of future-myself, which would be you, in your now, which would make me past-myself… this is confusing. Anyways,_

She had to put the paper down to laugh. If she had had any doubts about the author of this letter before, they flew out of the window at that digression of thoughts immediately ignored after its conclusion. Her texting habits can prove that she _still_ talks and writes like that. Eventually she got herself under control enough to continue to read, though giggles were interspersed.

_Anyways, I’m in advanced math and science right now, which means I get to take chemistry next year, and I’m really excited. I heard that you get to make food in that class!_

They _did_ get to make a few different edible things for lab, but Shelby ended up being sick on the day of the peanut brittle experiment (which she still regrets, because rumor has it that Alyssa managed to blow hers up). 

_I’m also a junior cheerleader, but I heard that the actual squad is a lot more competitive than modified is. I’ve been practicing extra with Kaylee and Alyssa, but Emma decided she didn’t like cheer and quit this year, so instead we have to ask stupid Carrie for help when we need a fourth person._

Another laugh at that. Carrie was a bit much back in middle school, but high school really mellowed her out. They still weren’t close, but Shelby was comfortable calling Carrie a friend, now.

_For my birthday I’m gonna go to an escape room with Kaylee and Alyssa. I heard it’s like a real life puzzle, and since I’m good at puzzles and Alyssa is good at figuring stuff out it’ll be really fun. Kaylee might get bored, though, so after we’re out of the room we’re going to come back to my house and have a sleepover where Kaylee will get to talk about all the boy stuff she ever wants._

Shelby smiled at that. The escape room part had ended early due to a sudden realization of claustrophobia by Alyssa, so to make up for it Kaylee and Alyssa had taken Shelby to a waterpark later in the summer. All in all, a good birthday party.

_That’s enough about now-me (past-me?). Time for my questions to you!_

_… But I won’t get an answer… Eh, f--- it._

Shelby knew for a fact that she had fully written out the word _fuck_ , realized that this was for school, didn’t want to completely get rid of it, and simply scribbled over the last three letters enough that it was unreadable.

_How’s Papi? Is Kaylee still your best friend? Have you met any cute boys? Are you dating anyone? Kaylee says that she likes Nick, but I don’t see why. He’s ugly, and stupid, and mean to Alyssa just because she’s smart. I don’t think she should like him. No one in Edgewater is good enough for her._

Oh, you sweet, repressed middle schooler, if only you knew…

At that moment, Shelby’s phone buzzed from a text. She paused her trip down memory lane to check who it was, smiling at a text from Kevin.

**The Babes :):):)**

kevsword: who’s ready for date night???? i got a bunch of big things planned for our anniversary!! :D

kaykay: kevin, we started dating in may. it’s july

kevsword: it’s our fourteen month anniversary, excuse you :P

shelley: oh my god kev youre such a dork

shelley: i cannot believe im dating both of you

kevsword: it’s because you love us!

kaykay: it’s because you love us

shelley: maybe

Shelby put her phone down and let it buzz as Kevin and Kaylee keep bickering over their date night tonight. She still had a letter to read.

_Ms. Castle said that she was gonna mail these out in five years, so that means you’ll be in college when you get this. What was high school like? Did you get onto the homecoming court? What was senior night like? How was prom? You HAD to have a date to the prom, right?_

Oh, speaking of dating people… A twinge of guilt sparked through her at the memory of senior prom season. She still didn’t feel like she had apologized to Emma enough for that whole disaster. But hey, they (she) ended up with two proms, Alyssa got to come out, and everything ended up fine, in the end.

_Jeez, I sound like Kaylee with all these questions about boys._

At this point, the writing changed from a pen to a pencil, and the writing looked to be more rushed, sloppier, like she didn’t want anyone to see what she was writing. Which is weird, because Shelby remembered just sitting down and writing this in one sitting.

Except, now that she was thinking about it, she _did_ remember bringing it home and locking her door, scared that her Papi would see what she was writing.

_Have you figured it out yet? Why you get all weird around some girls? Was it just puberty, or was it something more? I hate not knowing things. I just want an answer. I’m only keeping this in because Ms. Castle promised that she wasn’t gonna read these, and the pastor says enough bad things about homos. I don’t want people to know that I…_

Shelby felt her heart break just a little for her younger self. She couldn’t help but think _don’t worry. You figure it out, kid._ It was stupid, to think that a small thought made when reading a letter she wrote to herself five years ago would help the scared girl that she was, but… it helped her right now.

_But that’s complaining. Complaining wastes time where I could be learning something new._

_Some final thoughts regarding my future (your past):  
I hope you didn’t change too much. I hope you end up top of your class. I hope college isn’t too scary. I hope you’re happy._

_I’ll see you soon, Shelby. Keep yourself alive to read this._

_In five years,  
Shelby Gonzales_

She had to stifle a giggle at the loopy cursive way that she signed her name. She didn’t get to sign many things back then, so she must have taken the opportunity to go all out with the cursive. Nowadays her signature was much more scribbly, because she’s had to sign a shit ton of papers for college. 

Her phone buzzing three times in quick succession brought her back to her room. She picked up the phone and ignored the ongoing bickering between Kevin and Kaylee in favor of the reason her phone made a unique sound: a message from Alyssa.

alissymayalcott: Hey Shelby, are our plans for today still on or did you end up deep-diving last night?

alissymayalcott: If I don’t get a reply, I know the answer.

shelley: nah im up plans are still on

shelley: please remember this is a no partner outing

alissymayalcott: You and I both remember the last time I broke a rule, Gonzales. No partners from my side will be tagging along.

“Shelby, breakfast!” 

“Coming, Papi!”

Shelby Gonzales, age twenty, one year of college down, took one more look at the letter that her fourteen year old self wrote. With her friends and partners in mind, with memories swirling through her thoughts, she offers one last retrospective thought to her past self before leaving her room. 

_I’m happy, little me._

**Author's Note:**

> If it isn't clear:  
> kevsword is kevin  
> kaykay is kaylee  
> shelley is shelby  
> alissymayalcott is alyssa
> 
> I just... I really love Shelby, okay?
> 
> As of posting this fic, I have two and a half of the seven prompts ready (including this one). I'll keep yall updated on how many are pre-written in the end notes of each I post!


End file.
